Text Size

Senate election results: GOP's lesson

Patrick Murphy has 160,328 votes, or 50.4 percent, to West’s 157,782 votes, or 49.6 percent, with 100 percent of precincts reporting, according to The Associated Press, which has yet to call the race.

West, who warned before the election of “nefarious actions” by Democrats, suggested a county election supervisor was trying to rig the election.

“Late last night Congressman West maintained a districtwide lead of nearly 2,000 votes until the St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections ‘recounted’ thousands of early ballots,” West’s campaign said in a statement. “Following that ‘recount’ Congressman West trailed by 2,400 votes.”

West also said there were “numerous other disturbing irregularities” in St. Lucie County.

“The St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections office clearly ignored proper rules and procedures, and the scene at the Supervisor’s office last night could only be described as complete chaos,” the campaign said. “Given the hostility and demonstrated incompetence of the St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections, we believe it is critical that a full hand recount of the ballots take place in St. Lucie County. We will continue to fight to ensure every vote is counted properly and fairly, and accordingly we will pursue all legal means necessary.”

A call to St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections’ office was met with a full voicemail inbox.

Murphy declared victory shortly after 1 a.m., according to TCPalm.com. West had yet to concede. Murphy’s 0.8 point lead is outside the 0.5 margin that would require a recount in the Sunshine State. If Murphy’s lead remains bigger than 0.5 percentage points, a state elections spokesman told the Miami Herald that there is “no statutory mechanism for a candidate, group or anyone else to have a recount done.”

“Allen West was quite a character to run against,” Murphy said in his victory speech, according to the website. “And I’ll keep it at that, and hopefully that’s the last time I ever need to mention his name, too.”

The Palm Beach Post reports provisional and absentee ballots in Democratic-leaning Palm Beach County still need to be counted. Murphy’s campaign manager told the newspaper the outstanding ballots weren’t enough to overturn the results.

West, a retired Army colonel who left the military after firing off a gun near the head of an Iraqi prisoner, was elected as part of the 2010 tea party wave. As one of the GOP’s few black elected officials on the national level — and as a bombastic and incendiary commentator — West became a frequent cable news guest. He spent $13.8 million, more than any other House member in 2012 but was also a regular star of House Democratic fundraising appeals.

Murphy, a vice president in his family’s construction company, was aided by $3.4 million in super PAC spending. One of those PACs was at least partially funded by Murphy’s family.

Boy, this really would be the icing on the cake! And Bachmann barely survived in a gerrymandered GOP district. Maybe the Tea Party will wake up and smell the coffee, but I doubt it. Which is fine by me. Keep putting up the West's and Akin's and Mourdouck's, Democrats will win even more!

Best beatdown of the night. He should apologize for what he has done with his time in office. In fact all he has done is amass wealth for himself. I am certain he and sister Sarah will be out together bloviating to the bubbledwellers for cash.

Best beatdown of the night. He should apologize for what he has done with his time in office. In fact all he has done is amass wealth for himself. I am certain he and sister Sarah will be out together bloviating to the bubbledwellers for cash.

The cake has already had a lot of icing but this, to me, adds again to the victory. The American people woke up and said, "Wait a minute. These guys got us into this mess, now they want to blame those who have brought us back to some semblance of prosperity. Let's throw these moochers our."

America won last night. Thank God West won't slip by like Bachmann did. By the way, Bachmann spent over $40 million she spent the most of any House race in the country and only won by a few hundred votes.

of course the libs wouldn't quit, they are the first ones to run to the courts to challenge ballots and counting. How many illegals or criminal voted in that district? How many dead people? The dems targeted West so of course you should look for fraud